E-Cigarettes to be Legalized in UAE from April

Many countries in the middle-east have banned vaping and one of them is the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Yet, a change and the policy adjustment in this regards could take place in the next couple of months.

According to a senior ESMA the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology has created new regulations and standards to cover a wide range of electronic smoking products, legalizing the sale and use of electronic smoking devices.

It has been against the law for retailers to sell e-cigarette products until now. Under the new rules, manufacturers, wholesalers and retails will be free to sell the products. Though it is not an offense to own or use one as long as they meet ESMA’s standards and carry health warnings.

Abdullah Al Muaini, Director General of ESMA said that the crucial reason behind this move is the growing popularity of the illegal products as they are readily available online.

The popular products are already available online, and that the new regulations cover a wide range of electronic smoking products including electronic shishas, pipes, vaping devices, and their liquid refills.

“These products include non-tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes [electronic shisha] and refill packages such as electronic liquids and products that use tobacco as the plant where it is placed in an electronic device that heats the tobacco rolls and smoked through the device without a burning process of tobacco,” he added.

Under the new rules, manufacturers, wholesalers and retails will be free to sell the products, as long as they meet ESMA’s standards and carry health warnings.

The sale of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices will be allowed throughout the UAE from mid-April, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) said on Sunday. This will not only help combat smoking, but it will also decrease the number of fake products and bring the price of vaping products down.